If you're a filmmaker, sometimes you can get carried away in front of the writing desk or behind the computer. Thankfully, the editing process takes the raw minerals of your rough cut and turns it into what might be a bright, shining diamond. But what if your movie's too big? Well, sometimes that just means you need to split it in two, which is exactly what Kingsman: The Golden Circle almost did. Except director Matthew Vaughn was entirely opposed to that idea, as he explained in the following statement:
I thought it was highly watchable... That was the part about being a sequel as well, I lost my discipline where you're with a bunch of friends and you go, 'Oh that's a good idea', and it was a good idea, but everything just got longer and longer and longer. There was a moment where the studio said, 'Hey should we do The Golden Circle Part 1 and Part 2?' and I went 'Absolutely no way we're doing that, this is The Golden Circle.'
Two installments for Kingsman: The Golden Circle's story just might have done the trick, as some of the initial reviews critiquing the film's general execution have labeled the film as sloppy and/or bloated, at the same time. So naturally, whatever was cut from might have firmed up the film's image in the eyes of those that weren't so keen this time around. But for those who left Kingsman's glorious return with wide smiles and eager for a sequel, then there's a chance that two films would have worked to their advantage, too.
So just how much more of Kingsman: The Golden Circle would we have gotten if the film wasn't cut? Well, considering the final cut heading to theaters is two hours and 21 minutes long, and there's an extra hour and 20 minutes that Vaughn told Collider he cut from the film, we'd be looking a three hour and 41 minute film. For comparison, 2015's Kingsman: The Secret Service clocked in at a brisk 2 hour 9 minute run time, which may not feel like a much shorter film, but might have done them well in the long game.
The interest in Kingsman: The Golden Circle's longer cut is probably going to be heightened after this news gets around, but with that interest will come good and bad news. The bad news is Matthew Vaughn won't be adding the footage cut out in the form of deleted materials on the home video release. However, the good news is Vaughn is definitely open to creating a new cut for the eventual Blu-ray/DVD release. So there's a chance that this weekend's box office contender could be an epic of home video proportions.
Of course, that depends on how big Kingsman: The Golden Circle hits when it debuts in theaters early Thursday night. Don't forget to also look through out 2017 movie premiere guide, as well as our guide for what's coming to theaters next year.
